Construction Business | September/October, 2011

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September/October 2011 Vol. 8 No. 6

The BowDON NiShimura, ScOTT cONSTrucTiON

PuBlic WOrkS

ElEcTrical

TEchNOlOgy

+ 2011 resource guide

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Cheryl Mah

Patrick ClearyRebecca ClearyJason DabnerGuy DaunceyHassan FarhangiCarry GrantDrew JarvisJ. Marc MacEwingVivian ManascCarol McLeodMarcel RegheliniThomas RossJennifer SowaJim Young

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Construction Business is British Columbia and Alberta’s construction magazine. Each issue provides timely and pertinent information to contractors, architects, developers, consulting engineers, and municipal governments throughout both provinces. Complimentary copies are sent bi-monthly to all members of the Architectural Institute of B.C., B.C. Construction Association, B.C. Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, Consulting Engineers of B.C., Construction Specifica-tions Canada — B.C. Chapter, Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association, B.C. Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C., Urban Development Institute of B.C. and Vancouver Regional Construction Association.

Inside

37 Special Supplement2011 Resource Guide

industry Focus16 technologyHigh Tech ToolsUnderstanding RevitBuilding in 2032Smart Microgrid

23 ElectricalSolar PV CertificationMeeting Future DemandDiversified Skills

27 Public worksServing Our CommunitiesCreating Civic PrideAward Winning Work

Departments04 Message from the Editor

34 the Legal fileNegotiating a SubcontractIs Drug and Alcohol Testing Getting Easier?

36 Architect CornerRebuilding After a Fire

46 Industry News

06 connectionsdon Nishimura As president and COO of Scott Construction Group, Don Nishimura is focusing on growing the company and the people within it.

12 Feature Projectthe BowConstruction of the tallest building in Western Canada required the project team to overcome a myriad of technical challenges with innovative solutions.

Cover PhotoThe Bow in Calgary, Alberta. Jade Kanevski photo.

MARCH 20 & 21, 2012

NOVEMBER 8 & 9, 2011

Dan GnocatoTel: 604.739.2115 ext. 223

FEBRUARY 8 & 9, 2012

construction business September/october 20114

Editor’s Note

Embracing Technology

when I was growing up, we didn’t have cell phones, Internet, iPads, digital cameras, Twitter or Face-book. I could go on and on. It’s

amazing — when you take a minute to reflect — how much technology has changed our lives. More than ever, technology is the biggest driver of change and innovation in our world today and the construction industry is not immune.

It’s no secret that the sector lags behind oth-ers when it comes to embracing technology but like it or not, technology is increasingly playing a much larger part.

At the University of Calgary, researchers are developing high-tech tools that can improve ef-ficiencies and productivity in the industry. By using radio-frequency signals, information can be easily accessed and mistakes minimized. Read about the new tools in our technology section.

We also take a look at Revit; BCIT’s Smartgrid project; and what building in 2032 might be like.

Anyone who has visited Calgary in the past few years could not miss The Bow tower rising in the downtown core. Gracing our cover, the construction of this landmark project has set a number of industry benchmarks. The Bow is our feature project this issue and when complete in 2012, it will be the largest and tallest office build-ing in Western Canada.

One of the largest construction firms in West-ern Canada is Scott Construction Group. Get to know company president and COO Don Nishimura in our profile story. He is also active in many industry associations and discusses some key issues facing the industry.

For example, a skill labour shortage is still on the horizon and training the next generation is of paramount importance. In our electrical focus,

you’ll read about two new programs that are ad-dressing the need for skilled labour. Thompson Rivers University is offering a new dual trade entry level program (a B.C. first) while a new na-tional certification program will ensure electrical contractors receive proper training for installa-tion of solar PV systems.

Also in this issue is public works where we put the spotlight on Richmond’s award winning Cambie Pump Station, the Royal Alberta Mu-seum and the Alberta Chapter of the American Public Works Association.

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Building Within

don Nishimura has learned the busi-ness of construction literally from the ground up. From digging holes and overseeing projects to leading one of

Western Canada’s largest construction firms in its strategic planning, his “school of hard knocks” training has helped him to build a successful 30 year career.

Not too bad for someone who got his start in construction by “accident.”

The president and chief operating officer at Scott Construction Group has come a long way from his small town roots. Born in Nelson, B.C. to Japanese-Canadian parents who were relo-cated there at the start of World War II, he was encouraged early on to get a good education.

He followed the traditional academic route by enrolling at the University of British Columbia in 1970. But after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Bachelor of Laws Degree, he wanted a break from academics and wound up doing odd jobs such as logging, framing and other small contracting jobs.

“At that time I was into sailing and yacht racing and I needed to finance that lifestyle by working on contracting jobs like house reno-vations. I also liked working outside,” recalls Nishimura, 60.

In 1986, he met John Scott, who invited him to learn the business with his new company.

“He said if you don’t like it in six months, I have contacts and you can go off to do something else,” says Nishimura, who joined as junior estimator/project co-ordinator and has never looked back since. “It was a big learning curve for me but I enjoyed it. I had some crusty old superintendents who kept me in line and out of trouble. “

Perseverance and a strong work ethic, which Nishimura credits to his humble upbringing, has helped him to succeed in the industry. He admits luck has also played a part. “I consider myself lucky to have run into a mentor and an owner like John. I’ve learned a lot from him — he’s been a great coach and mentor for me over the last 25 years. “

Nishimura would rise through the company ranks, earning his current position in 2005. In his role, he is responsible for the company’s strategic planning, operations, legal and risk management.

No longer in the field or overseeing building projects, his “projects“ now are growing the com-pany and the people within it.

“My biggest projects are about succession, growth of the company, recruitment and grow-ing people,” he says. “I enjoy watching all the young people joining the company and rising up through the ranks and being successful.”

He adds facetiously, “My job now is about making myself redundant.”

The company has undergone a “calculated risk managed growth” over the last decade which has

BY CHERYL MAH

seen its annual volume go from $40 million in 2001 to an average volume of $200 million plus today. Employees currently number between 150-160.

Its extensive portfolio includes many Vancou-ver landmarks and high profile projects includ-ing Eugenia Place, Waterfront Place in Coal Har-bour and the Christ Church Cathedral.

Diversification has been key to the company surviving the cyclical nature of the business. In the late 1990s, the company made a concerted effort to break into the ICI sector.

“Up until about 1997, we were the ‘go to’ com-pany for high end residential high rises and we had developed a particular rapport with Asian clients and were very successful in servicing that

Sauder School of

Business, UBC.

2011 VRCA Awards of Excellence

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The November/December 2011 issue of Construction Business is the offi cial publication of the 2011 VRCA Awards of Excellence.

This is your opportunity to congratulate the winners and showcase your proud involvement in the Award-winning projects.

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sector of the industry,” says Nishimura, noting they built many of the early signature residential buildings that helped define Coal Harbour.

The company’s first institutional project at UBC was the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility. Since then, it has completed a number of other projects on the campus including the Biodiversity Building, Biosciences Renew and the renovation of the Sauder School of Business.

“We were quite successful at making that tran-sition into ICI and proving that we could per-form and deliver projects in those sectors,” says Nishimura.

Today, Scott Construction has diversified into five divisions (industrial, institutional, commer-cial, residential and special projects) with a repu-tation for quality and on-time delivery. Although the company established itself through high end residential projects, it now represents only about 25 per cent of their volume.

Current projects include the $200 million Hotel Georgia renovation and residential/tower project for Delta Land Development Ltd., Rob-ert H.N. Ho Research Centre at Vancouver Gen-eral Hospital, RCMP headquarters in Richmond and Robson Square revitalization in downtown Vancouver. Other recent noteworthy projects were the complex renovations to the CBC build-ing and the Honour House, which was a unique volunteer effort by the construction industry with Scott as construction manager.

“Certainly over the last few years, projects have been more on the public side but we have a fairly good mix of public and private clients,” says Nishimura.

Construction in B.C. (as well as elsewhere) was roaring at a record pace until the economic meltdown in late 2008. The global recession im-pacted everyone hard. But a backlog of projects and work from repeat clients helped to carry the company through this most recent tough period. Adversity though is nothing new for a company that was founded in the middle of a deep reces-sion back in 1984.

“The stimulus funding by all levels of govern-ment also certainly helped. A lot of work has been more on the public side than private side but I see a balance coming back,” says Nishimura.

Although he is optimistic about the future, the recent recession not only caused a slow-down in volume but also increased competition in B.C.

“The world’s changed. There are about 15 in-ternational consortiums opening up offices here or operating here in one shape or another. So the world has become a smaller place. It will be a challenge because there are lots of players here,“ he says.

Last year the company opened an Edmonton office to capitalize on the growth and activity in Alberta.

“There are opportunities there for sure. We’re working in Fort McMurray and have done jobs as far as Saskatchewan. We’ve been lucky to land a couple of small jobs to get a foothold there and we will continue to build on that. Our partner-ship with Aecon gives us the ability to service the market there,” notes Nishimura, adding Western Canada is where they foresee growth over the next few years.

In 1995, the company partnered with Aecon Group to become its construction arm in West-ern Canada. It provides them with access to a wide range of construction expertise and finan-cial services that wouldn’t otherwise be available to a company of its size.

Much of the work expected in Alberta will be related to the oilsands and industrial infrastructure.

“I hope that the governments of the day at all levels see the need to continue to fund infrastruc-ture renewal and growth,” comments Nishimura. “A lot of the infrastructure in Canada is at that age where it needs to be looked at and replaced. It’s definitely a potential growth area.”

Scott Construction also strives to stay ahead of environmental requirements, which have become the norm in business today. Susan Hil-debrand is their director of sustainable building practices and ensures green strategies are imple-mented into projects.

“We’ve been recycling waste from our sites since the 90s. There’s real cost savings to doing that,” notes Nishimura. “Today certainly sus-tainability and corporate social responsibility are at the forefront. It’s been a real change and I think there is an obligation and a responsibil-ity for those of us in the business to do what we can.“

He credits their success and longevity to long standing relationships with clients and the quality of the people in the company. Scott was recently named one of the 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada for 2011 by AON Hewitt.

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“Being voted as one of the best employers was a big coup for us,” remarks Nishimura. “Winning industry awards and recognition from your peers is great but this award really reflects the value we place on our people. This is a bricks and mortars business but you really don’t get there without good people. Success is from them.”

Actively involved in the industry, Nishimura is currently on the board of directors for BCCA and the B.C. Construction Roundtable. He is also serving as chair elect for the VRCA.

“I’m enjoying that kind of volunteer work be-cause it not only allows you to give back to the in-dustry but you can also discuss issues and how the industry can be improved like skills shortages, pro-curement practices, standards and technology,” he says of his involvement.

Procurement practices by public and private agencies are very top of mind for many in the con-struction industry, according to Nishimura.

The industry has always advocated for a fair, open, and transparent process but with the recent market turmoil, changes in preferred project deliv-ery methods and more players in the market, built in biases and other issues have become a concern.

“The experience level of people procuring capital projects now is probably not as high as it used to be — that’s another issue,” explains Nishimura, who sits as the chair of the stan-dards and practices committee for the BCCA. “And there are some issues out there in terms of stratification of the industry with these large international firms coming in. Where do

smaller contractors or trades fit in that can’t necessarily partake in P3s, for example?”

BCCA recently released a revised Construc-tion Management Guidelines for government bodies and agencies to follow when using CM as a project delivery method. The guidelines, which can also be applied to privately funded projects, aim to provide a fair and equitable process resulting in a contract award based on maximum accountability.

Training the next generation is also critical and one of the biggest challenges facing the industry.

“A lot of what we do is experiential knowl-edge we’ve gained going through the good and tough times,” notes Nishimura. “It can’t all be book taught or it’s not all on the web. A lot of that has to come from knowledge transfer and we all struggle with that as the demographics change. How do you transfer all that knowledge and experience to the up and coming young-sters? It’s a huge challenge because you can’t put it on a disk and say here it is.”

He continues, “The skill labour shortages we went through years ago is just on the back burner right now. All studies and indications are that it will rear its ugly head again in a couple of years.”

That’s why one of his priorities within the company is to ensure adequate training and professional development is available for the younger employees. “It takes a long time to ‘grow your own’ and that’s got to be one of the main focuses of any company nowadays.”

It’s also about succession planning and “mak-ing sure there are good people in house to take over and step up,” he says.

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Feature Project

Calgary’s iconic Bow tower is taking of-fice skyscraper design and construc-tion to a whole new level. The city’s tallest building is redefining the sky-

line with its distinctive shape. Rising 775 feet, it has set a number of new industry benchmarks.

“The whole building, from design to con-struction, is unique with many components that have never been done before. Taking on that challenge and succeeding has been re-warding,” says Ledcor senior vice president Kerry Gillis.

Named for the Bow River that flows through downtown Calgary and its crescent shape, the tower will serve as the new headquarters for EnCana Corporation and Cenovus Energy. It

Standing TallThe Bow in Calgary is a groundbreaking structure, representing many “firsts” in construction and design. BY CHERYL MAH

will offer nearly 2 million square feet of space and a new public plaza with retail facilities.

As construction manager, Ledcor Construc-tion has been responsible for the smooth execu-tion of the $1.5 billion project — its largest sin-gle project to date. It is also the largest project for Texas and Toronto based development manager Matthews Southwest Developments.

Located on two blocks of Centre Street and 5th and 6th Avenues S.E. in downtown Calgary, construction began in 2007.

When complete, the Bow will be the largest and tallest office building in Western Canada. The signature curved glass and steel structure will reach 59 storeys with 44 elevators and a six storey below grade parkade.

Gillis reports the tower is on track for com-pletion in spring 2012. As of September, the curtain wall was complete and the roof was 80 per cent complete. Commissioning systems and completing tenant improvement work will be the focus of the work for the rest of this year.

He attributes the success of this landmark project to collaborative team work.

“It’s been about everyone — ourselves, the tenant, owner, trades, consultants — com-ing together as a team to get this built,” he says. “This is a world class building designed by a world class architect and it will raise the stature of the city of Calgary and Alberta. It will stand as a monument to the oil and gas industry.”

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Feature Project

Designed by world-renowned London based Foster and Partners and executed by Zeidler Partnership Architects of Calgary, it is the first building in North America to apply a triangular diagrid system to a curved building. The steel system plays an important role in the building’s aesthetics and sustainability features.

“The building is known for its unique form and appearance, but it’s the highly complex structural steel frame that provides the backbone for this magnificent building,” says Katherine Robinson, principal at Zeidler and project manager for the Bow. “Most of the architectural and engineering challenges that had to be overcome were directly re-lated to the forward thinking nature of the project.”

Owned and developed by H&R REIT, the proj-ect has posed many unique and technical construc-tion challenges as well as schedule constraints.

The first stage of the project included the ex-cavation under 6th Avenue for the parking struc-ture, which required the closure of the street. The 70 foot deep, 400,000 cubic metres of excavation is the city’s largest and features the largest shor-ing job of its kind in Western Canada.

Because 6th Avenue is the major thoroughfare for the Calgary Stampede parade, the city re-quired it to be reopened by June 2008. To avoid penalties, the parkade was completed success-fully in 11 months.

“Through careful preplanning, we’ve been able to anticipate most challenges,” says Gillis, adding another restriction was the parking structure had to be tied in as a solid diaphragm before the 36th floor was erected.

Pouring of the raft slab foundation was the first of several milestones. The 40-hour con-tinuous pour by Inland Concrete Ltd. set a new record as the largest of its kind in Canada as well as the third largest building foundation pour in the world. The slab, covering 30,000 square feet and about 10 feet thick, required nearly 14,000 cubic metres of concrete. It took 500 workers and more than 90 ready mix trucks to deliver 1,500 loads of concrete dur-ing the pour.

“We poured the raft slab and then put six sto-rey pipe columns up off the raft slab, framed in the main floor at grade in structural steel and did the erection above as we were filling in the park-ing floors below,” describes Gillis. “Top down construction is a bit unusual in the Canadian market. It’s a time saver and was critical on a proj-ect of this magnitude.”

The ground floor “umbrella” was also neces-sary to provide the essential material handling and staging areas to feed three tower cranes (two 70 ton diesels and one 50 ton Favco) during the tower erection.

In total, 100,000 cubic metres of concrete was used in the construction of the tower and parkade.

Getting all of the necessary materials, equipment and manpower onto the tight downtown site was one of the biggest chal-lenges. Materials were scheduled to arrive on a “just in time delivery basis.” Five hoists were used to move materials and labour up and down the tower.

The project required 40,000 tons of structural steel, 800,000 bolts and 100,000 lbs of weld-ing. The volume of steel and complexity of the fabrication meant steel fabrication occurred in various locations across Canada. The Bow is the largest steel-framed building currently under construction in Canada.

“Material handling on the job was 24/7. Struc-tural steel would arrive at night onto erection decks. They would be lifted up the tower. The diagrid would be erected at night and then there would be three day shift crews erecting the struc-tural steel... as we’re putting in curtain wall pan-els, pouring metal deck and the rest of it — all happening at same time,” says Gillis, adding pre-fabrication and modular fabrication (restrooms) were key to meeting the compressed schedule.

During the height of construction more than 1,000 workers were on site constructing one floor per week.

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September/october 2011 construction business 15

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Procurement of materials and labour was an initial challenge. When construction began on the project, the market was at the peak of a building boom.

“From structural steel procurement to trying to find trade contractors to perform on such a large project was a significant challenge at the time,” says Gillis. “The downturn in late 2008 and 2009 actually helped the project because construction resources became available and al-lowed us to get the labour we needed.”

Inclement weather — cold Calgary winters and heavy winds — was also a factor, shutting down steel erection and hoists.

The complex structural design by Halcrow Yolles did pose significant constructability issues, “particularly in the diagrid but all challenges were overcome successfully,” says Gillis.

He adds, “the largest lift on the diagrid, we needed to do two crane lifts on it. They were in around 60-70 ton mark. The lifts were so big they had to go straight up the tower.”

The diagrid structural design, composed of six-storey high diagonal elements, not only gives the tower its bow shape but provides supe-rior structural efficiency while significantly re-ducing the overall steel weight and wind loads.

“The curve is also intended to be a sun catcher,” explains Stephen Carruthers, partner at Ziedler. “It orients the building to the southwest to cap-ture maximum sun and gives occupants a more direct view of the mountains.”

The tower is clad with 12,000 glazed curtain wall panels, which translates to 900,000 square feet of glass — enough to cover 10 football fields.

“The external structural system frees up signif-icantly more floor space than a traditional build-ing would allow,” says Carruthers. “The result is that many of the building’s users will be provided with an external office and everyone will have ac-cess to natural light.”

Another unique aspect is the three multi-storey “sky gardens” that divide the building into distinct zones, forming a series of destination floors with lobby areas, meeting rooms, commu-nal spaces and a high-speed elevator service run-ning between the lobbies.

“The sky gardens will become like village squares where employees can sit under trees, have coffee with their colleagues and exchange ideas,” Carruthers says. “They will be quite grand. The floor structure allowed us to put tree pits into the floors so we can plant full size trees. These ‘for-ests’ were enabled by the steel structure and will be visible as you look up at the building, particu-larly at night when the trees are illuminated.

Other sustainable design features include the use of solar energy to heat the building, low VOC materials, climate control systems and an efficient, under-floor air-delivery system. The en-ergy efficient design is expected to reduce energy use by about 30 per cent, compared to a conven-tional tower.

The high profile nature of this project was also added pressure, acknowledges Gillis.

“But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he notes. “These types of projects don’t come along often in a person’s career.”


Technology

Minimizing mistakes, saving time and boosting the performance and safety of workers have never been more im-portant. Construction projects are

becoming more complex and the business climate more competitive, so there’s more pressure than ever to deliver projects on time and on budget.

Project management experts are turning to wireless communication, remote sensing tech-nologies and tracking devices for help. Engineers at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering are developing high-tech tools in-cluding portable information kiosks and systems that use radio-frequency signals to keep tabs on workers, equipment and building materials.

The iBooth is a wireless, mobile terminal that dispenses information about a project such as building plans, schedules, weather forecasts, even safety information. Managers can move the ter-minal onto any construction site and onto any floor of a building. The goal is to increase pro-ductivity by enabling instant access to vital infor-mation. The iBooth has been tested extensively by industry and in a few short years it could be-come a mainstream tool.

“The construction industry lags behind others when it comes to adopting modern communica-tion technology,” explains Janaka Ruwanpura, Canada research chair in project management systems and developer of the iBooth. “Ineffective communication is a major barrier to productivity and efficiency of major projects.”

Ruwanpura and his research team are current-ly developing the second-generation iBooth and they hope to finish it early in 2012.

Also in the testing phase is technology to monitor vital resources including equipment, building materials and workers themselves. Un-til now, this information was collected manually and it was time consuming, costly, and prone to human error. But radio-frequency signals com-

bined with remote sensing technologies and real-time data reporting could change that.

Civil engineering professor Farnaz Sadegh-pour and graduate student Reza Maalek are ex-ploring the feasibility and reliability of tracking objects and workers with tags that use ultra-wide band technology (UWB), which is part of the radio-frequency wave form spectrum.

“Most accidents happen because of falls or people clashing with equipment. These are areas where we want to see improvements,” says Sade-ghpour. “When a worker gets too close to equip-ment, or a worker or a piece of building material gets too close to an edge, an alarm will go off. It could be an alert on a mobile phone or an urgent announcement on the site. It could be in what-ever format we choose.”

High-tech Tools BY JENNIFER SOWA

Two years ago, a three-year-old girl was killed in Calgary when a sheet of corrugated steel fell from an office tower that was under construction. A tracking system could help en-sure batches of material are properly secured and kept a safe distance away from edges. It would also have advantages when it comes to taking inventory and preventing theft. If someone removed an item from a site without authorization, for example, the system would trigger an alarm.

The research to develop such a system in-volves talking to people on job sites and moni-toring them at work to study the strengths and weaknesses of different activities. Sadeghpour and her team take their hypotheses back to the tracking laboratory and integrate them into a computer model, then go back to the field to test them out.

Tracking individual objects may sound expen-sive but Sadeghpour predicts it wouldn’t be as cost-prohibitive as many expect.

“This technology is getting less and less expensive all the time. And you need to be se-lective about what you track. You don’t want to track every single item on a construction site. You don’t need to follow every nut and bolt, just the things that are really important and valuable.”

Besides, given the devastation caused by inju-ries and deaths and the high cost of construction delays, the expense of a tracking system would be nothing in comparison.

Jennifer Sowa works in media relations at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary.

Janaka Ruwanpura of the Schulich School

of Engineering demonstrates

the iBooth.

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student Reza Maalek,

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professor Farnaz Sade-

ghpour with tracking

tags on hard hats.

September/october 2011 construction business 170223CB_Achieve7.5x5.25_BCCSA Client: BCCSA Pub: Construction Business

design one Size:

7.5” x 5.25”Date: September 30, 2011 2:26 PM

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Our Certificate of Recognition (COR) program can help employers of all types and sizes prevent workplace accidents and injuries. Experienced staff members are available to assist in making the certification process as straightforward as possible.

Call us today to find out more about COR, including how you can receive an incentive payment of up to 15% off your WorkSafeBC assessment. 1.877.860.3675

Achieve Safety Excellence and Reduce your WorkSafeBC Premiums!

Raising Awareness, Reducing Injuries Toll Free 1.877.860.3675 www.bccsa.ca

As part of ongoing efforts to ensure jobsites are as safe as possible, and provide practical benefits to employers and workers, the BCCSA is now offering a new Network of Regional Safety Coordinators and an enhanced injury

management service. Launched this past summer, the goal of the Network is to provide

direct support to contractors who have safety questions, concerns about WorkSafeBC orders, are looking to develop safety programs and materi-als, or who want to prepare for COR (Certificate of Recognition).

The regional coordinator for the Okanagan area is Jim Riches; John Dunn is BCCSA’s representative on Vancouver Island, and Jeff Lyth is working part-time in the Lower Mainland. All three offer extensive knowledge about construction health and safety, including Work-SafeBC regulations, and are also qualified instructors, in keeping with the goal that safety coordinators be able to provide on-site training.

Jim Riches, who has been meeting with and supporting a diversity of contractors (many of which are small, family run businesses), has only been on the job for a few months, but he knows just what the focus must be: service today, not tomorrow, with an emphasis on practical strategies that avoid information overload.

“For example, one fellow I worked with had a huge safety manual — 400 pages — for his 12-person company. He didn’t know where to start. So I took him through BCCSA’s Principles of Safety Management course and we put together materials that worked. He’s now on the way to getting his COR,” says Riches, adding that flexibility is also essential. “I may meet someone at 5:00 a.m. or seven at night.”

Executive director Mike McKenna notes that programs like the safety coordinator network reflect BCCSA’s emphasis on ensuring

that safety services are as accessible and relevant as possible to all con-tractors, and especially smaller companies for whom meeting safety goals can be particularly challenging. Future plans call for full provin-cial coverage, he says.

The same focus on accessibility and practicality is being applied to BCCSA’s approach to injury management, a challenging area for many construction employers because of the laborious nature of the work performed by employees and the perceived lack of options that would allow injured workers to return to modified or alternate duties. The BCCSA service aims to mitigate those challenges by providing indi-vidualized strategies, says injury management coordinator Vernita Hsu.

“Effective injury management involves many components aimed at helping employers get employees back to safe and meaningful work as soon as possible, but a ‘one-size fits-all’ approach is not going to work for everyone,” says Hsu. “So we provide specific tools and resources and we also make sure we are available to consult with employers to ensure they get positive results.”

For example, she says, research shows that supervisors play a criti-cal role in both the worker’s recovery and the success or failure of a return to work strategy. “Accordingly, we have developed a manual for supervisors to help them understand how essential they are, and we go further by ensuring they and their employers know how to apply the strategies to their particular situation. It’s that direct assistance that can make the difference. ”

For more information about BCCSA’s Network of Safety Coor-dinators, Injury Management service, and other initiatives visit our website at www.bccsa.ca or call 1.877.860.3675

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

ExPaNdEd SErvICES


Technology

Change can be an intimidating word in the construction industry. Change means moving away from tried and trusted methods, and can potentially

lead to unforeseen problems. Yet, if a survey was conducted of industry leaders, they are invariably the ones that embraced change and welcomed new methods.

Companies survive by evolving to adapt to their environment, and the latest evolution in our business is Revit. As the Revit platform increasingly becomes the standard in the AEC business, it is necessary to understand what Revit can accomplish, its benefits and also, its limitations.

Revit was launched in 2000 with the inten-tion of introducing parametric building mod-elling to the architectural industry. During the subsequent five years, only a few early adopters were using the software in Western Canada, and even then, not on every project. Despite its slow launch, it was evident that Revit would become a major competitor to AutoCad, the still widely used 2D design program.

Autodesk, the makers of AutoCAD, took notice and bought the corporation that created Revit only two years after its initial program re-lease. Now most architectural firms in Vancou-ver have begun using Revit and some firms use Revit as their only design/documentation tool.

While AutoCAD utilizes simple elements like lines, arcs and text to represent a mechan-ical document, Revit utilizes objects (i.e. ducts, pipes & conduit). Those objects can maintain connections to other objects and hold and transfer data through a connected system. This allows the user to detect how much fluid or power is being transferred within a system at any point, while providing additional design in-formation like pressure loss in a fitting.

Understanding revitBY DREW JARVIS

With Revit, users are able to create a virtual model of the building prior to the physical con-struction. The model highlights design chal-lenges prior to arrival on site, saving time and improving efficiency when solving construction issues. From an architectural viewpoint, the software is already very mature and offers many benefits for architectural professionals.

In 2006 Autodesk launched Revit MEP, which is now primarily used as a drafting tool, replacing the use of AutoCAD and the ubi-quitous HVAC lisp tools that every company seems to have in their system. Revit MEP offers the ability to create mechanical and electrical services utilizing 3D representations, allowing for coordination with other entities within the model. However, Revit is not predominantly used as a design tool, therefore slowing down the design process.

Revit MEP has enhanced how engineers design mechanically congested areas within a building. Engineers can ensure that duct and pipe systems can route from one point to an-other without having to visualize the design in their head. They can also “cut a section” of duct or piping from anywhere in the model at any time, or place a camera in the building to view it in a virtual 3D environment.

Unfortunately, the data transmission within the Revit model can be unreliable, so the ability to size ducts and pipes is occasionally lost. Many times I have found a duct fitting that reports its pressure drop as zero due to an error in ASH-RAE table allocation. Without this data, any system sizing is impossible and thus rendering a major feature of Revit unavailable.

From the standpoint of mechanical and elec-trical engineering firms, Revit offers many op-tions for change, not all of which businesses have to take on initially, and not all of which

work as well as they are marketed. However, the software has continually evolved and improved throughout its five year life, and will likely be-come the de facto full design and documenta-tion tool in the future.

Even projects that are not delivering Revit documentation can utilize the software for co-ordination purposes. For instance, users have produced typical Revit mechanical floor plans for residential projects in order to test that everything fits into the allocated space while the issued documentation remains in DWG format.

Revit does require correct implementation prior to use, which involves modification of the standard templates (control all the visual aspects within a Revit file), to comply with individual company standards.

Also, since most customers are accustomed to receiving project drawings as 2D paper prints, companies must continue to deliver project in-formation in a similar manner.

Designing with Revit MEP proves more beneficial with certain project types. For in-stance, projects with highly unique or congested areas will find the coordination ability of the software advantageous. Visualization of the de-sign prior to construction ensures that systems will be functional before installation.

The next step for Revit should be aiding con-struction, taking the model created by the con-sultant and utilizing it for cost estimation and construction management. The model needed by contractors differs from that of a consult-ant. For instance, a mechanical consultant util-izes the model to infer design intent, whereas a contractor would require a model specifically tailored to allow them to count quantities and timeline construction.

Consultants could produce a more valuable model for the contractor if communication within the project team takes place to under-stand what each team requires in their model. For example, a duct could be modeled in lengths as it will be installed rather than as single long objects. This in turn would allow the contractor to better estimate cost and installation time.

As more projects are presented in Revit, cli-ents continue to see the benefits the software offers. Consequently, firms bidding on projects may be excluded from the bidding process if they are unable to present Revit models to cli-ents. Revit is complex so you can’t just jump straight into Revit design without first planning for your change.

Drew Jarvis is the Revit manager at Cobalt Engineering in Vancouver. He has imple-mented Revit and trained users at numerous engineering and architectural companies all across Canada. Contact him at djarvis@ cobaltengineering.com.

Revit MEP allows

for mechanical 3D

representations.

case Study: Tower cranes vs mobile cranesHow Your Choice of Crane Makes a Big Impact on Construction Performance

the Aberdeen Heights project in Kirkwood, Missouri required two tower cranes: a San Marco SMT 551 on a mobile base with 105 foot under hook and 180 foot jib as well as a San Marco SMT 522 on a mobile base with 118 foot under hook height and 170 foot jib. They were the only two cranes used to service Building B for the project.

Directly adjacent to their site, another framing contractor was working on Building A, a very similar four storey structure. The obvious difference was that they were using four mobile cranes to service the project.

“Progress on the building using the two tower cranes is substantially further along” commented Randy Huffman, owner of Custom Service Crane, Inc.

These projects presented an opportunity to illustrate the comparison of “state-of-the-art” tower cranes on a mobile base to more traditional mobile cranes. Through the SMT’s efficient technology and simple operation, the two tower cranes were able to access ma-terials and every part of the large construction site without delay and without site roads.

The San Marco tower cranes created direct cost reductions because there is no need for off road forklifts, rough terrain or mobile cranes, or other forms of rented onsite hoisting equipment.

SPECIAL AdvERtISING fEAtURE

for more information on tower cranes, please contact Eagle west Cranes Inc. at 1.800.667.2215 or visit: www.eaglewestcranes.com.

testimonial “The decision to go with the San Marco’s came with a big pay day. Everything ran smoothly. We could reach every-thing we needed to reach, we didn’t need to move materials for the crane to get access, didn’t need an extra labourer for signaling the crane, if we had to do it over again, we’d do it the same way, no doubt”.

— Jeremy Pokorny, estimator, Con-Tech Carpentry.


Technology

Building in 2032BY GUY DAUNCEY | PHOTOS COURTESY OF HABITAT STUDIO & WORKSHOP LTD.

It’s only 20 years ahead, but innovation in the building industry is happening faster than in any previous era, driven by concerns about climate change and a desire to end our depen-

dency on ancient fossil fuels. Do we really have to drill deep into the Gulf

of Florida and the Arctic or tear up a chunk of Alberta’s boreal forest to get the energy we need? Many people hope not, and when it comes to our buildings this is driving a wave of innovation

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that will change everything. So come with me on a visit to the future.

It is 2032, and we are driving out in our smart electric vehicle with its 1,000 kilometre range to visit a new 250-unit development. The proj-ect has been planned using the province’s Smart Growth Code as a pedestrian-oriented commu-nity with a village commercial centre that in-cludes a cluster of three-storey affordable town-houses, a children’s play area, a bus shelter and a

coffee shop with outdoor seating where people like to gather.

The roads weave their way between landscaped ponds, open creeks, trees and shrubs without any separation for sidewalks or bicycle paths, so the cars are naturally constrained to drive at a slow speed. As well as housing humans, the site has been designed as a habitat enrichment zone for nature, with 100 per cent stormwater retention, native plants, and plenty of opportunities to grow food.

The project as a whole is net zero energy, and the passive solar Energuide-100 green-certified homes use carbon-absorbing eco-cement in the floors of south-facing rooms to store the sun’s heat. They have been built with advanced fram-ing techniques using six inch studs on two foot centres to save wood and avoid thermal bridges, and R-60 vacuum or foam-insulated wall-panels. The windows are R-10 triple glazed xenon-filled on a fiberglass frame, and as well as being solar-coated to generate energy they are able both to rebuff the summer heat and open for fresh air when their occupants want it.

These technologies combine with heat-recovery ventilators to give the homes plenty of clean fresh air and an air-tightness of under one air-change per hour, using foamed in-place insulation.

For electricity, each home has a grid-attached 4 kW solar system on the roof, adding $12,000 to the price at $3 per installed watt, compared to $6-8 today. The panels generate 4,800 kWh a year, and at the 2032 price of 20 cents/kWh for electricity they save the occupants $960 a year compared to older, non-solar homes.

4,800 kWh a year is more than the occupants need, thanks to the organic LED lighting, trans-lucent wall panels, super-efficient appliances, heat-pump-enhanced solar hot water evacuated tubes, cold storage food closets, wired in-house energy monitoring and multi-appliance switch-off sock-ets. Taken together, these reduce the demand to 5 kWh a day, plus 1,500 kWh a year for home-charging the electric car, which does 6 kilometres per kWh. The 1,500 kWh surplus is sold back to the grid, earning the occupants $300 a year.

These super-tight and super-insulated homes do not need additional heat. Elsewhere, new de-velopments are using district groundsource with radiant hydronic heating, while others are using stored solar heat similar to the Drake Landing solar subdivision in Okotoks. All of the houses have rainwater capture cisterns and dual-plumb-ing for flushing and irrigation.

Some houses have been built using cob and straw-bale techniques with composting toilets and grey-water systems, all of which have been normalized into the building code. As well as a built-in recycling centre, each home has a self-turning composting system for organic wastes. For paints and finishes, the required standard is zero VOC, to eliminate off-gassing.

The Riverdale

NetZero project in

Edmonton is a highly

energy-efficient and

healthy duplex, an

example of what is

possible in the future.


Technology

Proven on-time and on-budget deliveryProven on-time and on-budget delivery

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Construction Business 2011.pdf 2/2/11 4:37:07 PM

Retrofitting the CityIn the city, the largest construction project in provincial history is underway to upgrade the entire building stock. By 2050, at an average $50,000 per upgrade, it will be a multi billion dollar project, with every building being retrofit-ted with super-insulation and super-windows. A typical home retrofit reduces energy-use by 50 per cent, saving $2,500 a year in energy bills. The subsidized, tax-exempt investments are repaid through building energy accounts that remain with the building at the time of sale.

Many high-rise apartments and commercial spaces are being hooked into district heating systems and reskinned with new exo-skeletons, adding 12 inches of insulation to create an airtight shell. Many city building owners are installing living walls covered with greenery that cools the air and refreshes the city dwell-ers. New cooling systems are being created us-ing ponds, pools and inflow cooling towers to capture passing breezes. For new buildings, the use of timber has been approved for building up to six storeys high. On the skyline, many flat rooftops are being converted into greenhouse garden apartments.

To meet the still pressing need for affordable housing, small single-storey 800 sq. ft. houses are being approved for DIY completion and easy raising at a later date into two-storey buildings. Solar roof conversions have become ubiquitous, the cost being self-financed through the home

energy accounts. When a building is due to come down, demolition has given way to deconstruc-tion, the materials being listed on region-wide websites that enable rapid auctioning.

The building industry is thriving, generat-ing a huge number of new jobs, and enjoying innovations such as the revolving solar house. And fossil fuels? None needed. Welcome to the year 2032.

Guy Dauncey is president of the BC Sustainable Energy Association (www.bcsea.org), and author of nine books, including the award-winning book The Climate Challenge: 101 Solutions to Global Warming. His website is www.earthfuture.com.

The Mill Creek NetZero Home in Edmonton aims

to be Western Canada’s first LEED-Platinum

certified residential building.


Technology

In early 2007, BCIT embarked on an exciting research initiative at its Burnaby campus. Inspired by the B.C. government’s Green Energy Plan, BCIT began the process of designing and constructing Canada’s very first Smart Power Microgrid to enable electrical utility companies, tech-

nology providers and researchers to work together to develop architectures, protocols, configurations and models of the evolving smart grid with the view to charting a “path from lab to field” for innovative and cost-effective technologies and solutions for Canada’s evolving smart electricity grid.

BCIT’s Smart Microgrid was designed as a convergence platform where communication technologies, smart control, co-generation and informa-tion technology experts worked together to produce solutions, showcase technical capabilities, and accelerate the commercialization of Canada made technologies and solutions for the smart grid.

BCIT’s initiative secured considerable traction as well as support from many stakeholders. BCIT integrated a large portion of its own campus infrastructure as part of this initiative. Estimates are that so far the total investments committed towards this initiative by all stakeholders have ex-ceeded $20 million dollars.

Other utility companies from across Canada, and even internationally, supported the work with the view towards using this set up as a sand box to verify their target system architectures, configurations, interface proto-cols and grid designs to meet national priorities for co-generation, efficient transmission and distribution of electricity, load control, demand response, advanced metering & integration of clean energy sources into the existing and future grids.

The high-tech industry took an equally strong interest in the initiative. What is notable about the merits of BCIT’s Smart Microgrid is that the

partners regard it as a sophisticated research environment which is con-stantly evolving, expanding and creating more opportunities for Smart Grid

researchers and stakeholders from across the country to pull their resources together to identify more areas for collaboration, joint research and commer-cialization of much needed technologies in this up and coming area.

On the educational side, the opportunities are equally important. Utili-ties across the country are in the process of upgrading various parts of their systems, infrastructure, technical capabilities, service workflow and opera-tions. All these require the availability of a new generation of engineers and experts who should be adequately trained in power management, commu-nication engineering, data processing, command & control and informa-tion technology. In Canada there are no training facilities as yet for such purposes. BCIT’s Smart Microgrid is a perfect training ground for the new generation of workforce which will design, operate and maintain the next generation of electricity grids in Canada and beyond.

Innovative ModelSmart Grid constitutes a vast collection of technologies, solutions and systems.

BCIT’s Smart Microgrid provides Canadian researchers with a perfect common platform to work together, share their experiences, their knowl-edge and accelerate the development, validation and commercialization of much needed technologies and solutions for Canada’s evolving Smart Grid.

Working together through BCIT’s Smart Microgrid platform, research-ers are able to address impediments that have slowed down the evolution of smart grid in Canada. Most notable among these are the lack of standards, regulatory frameworks, robust technologies and last but not least custom-ized smart grid implementations meeting Canada’s specific climate and geo-graphical requirements.

A fully functioning Smart Microgrid at BCIT has enabled Canadian regulatory agencies to experiment with, and validate various standards, protocols and frameworks suitable for Canadian applications.

And finally, access to the technologies developed by researchers, and hav-ing these integrated, verified and validated in a near-real working environ-ment using BCIT’s Intelligent Microgrid, provides private sector partners with unique opportunities of incorporating such technologies in their ex-isting products, or develop new portfolio of products based on the devel-oped solutions by the network.

In summary, the removal of the aforementioned obstacles which has so far hampered the modernization of the electricity industry in Canada will be the major outcome of this imitative.

Products, technologies, standards, regulatory frameworks and imple-mentations to be developed will accelerate the realization of smart grid across Canada, and therefore contribute to a major step towards systemic and sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore ad-dressing the global issue of climate change.

Dr. Hassan Farhangi, Ph.D., SM-IEEE, and PEng, is director of research within the technology centre of BCIT. He’s also an adjunct pro-fessor at UBC and SFU.

Smart Power MicrogridBY DR. HASSAN FARHANGI

Left: Photovoltaic power for the Smart Microgrid research facility at BCIT.

Above: Smart meter in the Internet Engineering Lab, an integrated part of

the facility.


the growth of the Canadian solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sec-tor, the shortage of skilled labour and the need for safe and ef-fective installation of solar PV systems have accelerated the re-quirement to identify and formally recognize competent system

installation personnel. In September 2011, CSA Standards (CSA) and the National Electrical

Trade Council (NETCO) launched a national, third-party, independent personnel certification program for qualified electricians installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Canada. It is the mechanism through which CSA — serving as a third-party certifying body — assesses and formally recognizes a journeyperson electrician’s ability to meet national standards related to the installation and maintenance of solar PV systems.

“Electrical contractors may consider levering this made-in-Canada person-nel certification program to gain market share by promoting consumer con-fidence in the quality and safety of solar PV installation projects,” says Eryl Roberts, CECA executive secretary and NETCO treasurer.

As more Canadians appear to be embracing a green economy, a qualified workforce for solar PV installation and maintenance is critical to capturing work in this emerging market.

NEtCo-CSA PartnershipThe program was developed by CSA with the financial support of NETCO — the training arm of the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, First Dis-trict, Canada (IBEW). A 19-month period of extensive research and devel-opment preceded its national launch.

“The CSA personnel certification program for construction electricians installing and maintaining solar PV systems is an excellent fit with CSA’s growing portfolio of personnel certification programs in the area of safety and sustainability,” says Stephen Brown, director, energy, CSA standards.

NETCO’s decision to contract CSA in jointly developing a person-nel certification program grew from its 2009 National Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Strategy.

“Central to this strategy is the position that all solar PV installation should be performed by qualified electricians working for licensed contrac-tors under electrical permits,” says Phil Flemming, IBEW international vice president and NETCO president.

This premise is embedded in the national standards developed by NETCO in 2010, and subsequently validated by CSA. These national standards are ar-ticulated in a task analysis as a companion piece to the Red Seal Program’s Na-tional Occupational Analysis (NOA) for Construction Electrician (2008).

fast facts 1. Certification Program Name: Construction Electrician (NOC 7241) Solar PV Systems Certified. Construction electrician is the official Red Seal occupational title which may vary by province/territory. The National Oc-cupational Classification (NOC) code refers to the occupational descrip-tion referenced in the Red Seal Program’s national standards development.

2. Who: In order to challenge the certification exam, candidates will demonstrate compliance with the following requirements:

a) Construction Electrician (NOC 7241) Certificate of Qualificationb) demonstration of completion of a recognized solar PV installation

and maintenance training program consisting of in-class and a practical (hands-on) component and submission of a completed application

c) certification agreement and certification fees. 3. Quality: CSA’s approach adheres to the ISO 17024 international stan-

dard for certifying bodies. 4. Cost: $250 certification fee and $95 application fee.5. Certification Period and Renewal: Five year period for certification.

Renewal by re-examination only.

6. Certification Exams: Certification exams are administered at CSA- designated test centres across Canada. Appointments are scheduled upon sub-mission of the application form, certification agreement and certification fees.

7. Certification Documentation: CSA issues a certificate and maintains a database of qualified practitioners.

Recognition vs. Accreditation of training Providers CSA’s Construction Electrician (NOC 7241) Solar PV Systems Certified program examines an individual’s measurable knowledge and skill, rather than qualification based programs that consider an individual’s education and general credentials.

The program does not accredit training providers but rather offers recogni-tion if the curriculum aligns to the national standards and related test blue-print. Training providers are invited to submit their curriculum to CSA for review. CSA then posts a list of recognized training providers on its web site.

Training providers should modify (align) their curriculum to prepare learners for success in installing and challenging the certification exam. The certification process is the actual measure of the knowledge, skills abilities (competency) of the individual.

CSA Issues first Certifications in Canada On September 16, 2011 at a special ceremony during the IBEW International Convention Exposition in Vancouver, the first certifications were awarded to four qualifying IBEW electricians working with United Power Ltd. headquar-tered in Vancouver. Congratulations to Peter Curtis, Martin Kugler, Raymond Moffat and Dustin Thomas. These electricians recently participated in a beta test round of the certification in order to establish an acceptable pass mark, and the certification is now openly available to everyone who wishes to earn it.

Certifications were also issued Endre “Andy” Cleven, training director, Electrical Joint Training Committee, IBEW, Local 213 and Electrical Con-tractors Association of British Columbia and to John Salmon, president of A.R. Milne Electric in Waterloo, Ontario.

“CSA applauds the first construction electricians certified in solar PV systems in this program that is designed to help ensure the safe and effective installation of solar equipment while reducing the risk of serious accident and injury,” says Brown. “These certified candidates have demonstrated measurable knowledge in the solar PV area by passing an assessment against objectively identified criteria. We hope this program will increase public confidence in PV installations and in turn promote energy efficiency.”

Carol MacLeod is president of Carol MacLeod & Associates Inc. She is contracted by NETCO to coordinate the implementation of its National Solar PV Strategy.

Solar Pv CertificationCSA Standards and NETCO launch personnel certification program for Electricians Installing Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems. BY CAROL MACLEOD

CSA Standards’ director, Global Learning Services, Robert Rashotte (far

left) and NETCO’s president, Phil Flemming (centre left) presented certifi-

cates for Construction Electrician (NOC 7241) Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Certified to six recipients.

Electrical


Electrical

BC Hydro’s Vancouver City Central Transmission (VCCT) project is the most significant investment in cen-tral Vancouver’s electrical system in

almost 30 years. The $177 — $195 million project will increase

reliability of the electrical supply throughout Vancouver and meet the growing demand for power in the city’s Mount Pleasant and South False Creek neighbourhoods which is expected to increase by as much as 82 per cent over the next 30 years.

The project consists of 8 kilometres of 230 kV underground transmission circuits, including an 850 metre horizontal directional drilled crossing beneath the bed of False Creek, and a new dis-tribution substation with an ultimate capacity of 400 MVA, commissioned to an initial capacity of 134 MVA.

transmission CircuitsThe new substation will be supplied by two new underground transmission circuits origi-nating from two existing substations in BC Hydro’s system. The circuits consist of more than 7 kilometres of concrete-encased duct banks within city streets with concrete cable vaults installed approximately every 800 me-

tres. Construction of the duct work began in January 2011 and is expected to be substantial-ly completed in October 2011. Fred Thomp-son Contractors is constructing the majority of the transmission duct system.

Installation of the duct system involved a col-laborative approach with the City of Vancouver to coordinate municipal utility construction with the VCCT project in a manner that allowed

both organizations to proceed with their proj-ects while minimizing disruption to the public.

In addition to the duct work in city streets, an 850 metre crossing beneath the bed of False Creek was constructed using horizontal direc-tional drilling (HDD).This took place between

January and June 2011. The HDD was one of the more challenging parts of the project as the contractor, Michels Canada Co., had to deal with a number of unexpected conditions during drilling, and the duct bundle which was installed within the borehole had to be assembled on a railway corridor and then moved to the borehole.

The 850 metre long, 140,450 kilogram duct bundle had to be pulled along 10 city blocks. To the best of the project team’s knowledge, this work, in terms of the number of plastic pipes and the length and weight of the bundle, had never been completed before in such a densely popu-lated urban neighbourhood.

The duct system was then grouted in place us-ing a special heat dissipating grout that will facili-tate design performance of the electrical cables.

The XLPE transmission cable contract is with Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. and the cables are currently being manufactured in Japan by JPower and will be installed in the duct system in early 2012.

New Mount Pleasant SubstationA new substation is being built in the Mount Pleasant light industrial zone to provide electric-ity to one of the fastest growing areas of Vancou-ver. The new substation will have the capacity to

Meeting Future demandThe Vancouver City Central Transmission Project BY MARCEL REGHELINI

… an 850 metre crossing beneath the

bed of False Creek was constructed using horizontal

directional drilling…

Duct bundle being

pulled through Vancouver

city streets


Electrical

power the equivalent of approximately 30,000 homes. The substation has been designed as a post-disaster facility; that is, it is intended to re-main functional following a significant seismic event. BC Hydro is also constructing this substa-tion to LEED standards and is targeting a LEED silver rating (a first in B.C.)

Construction at the substation site began in November 2010 with demolition of existing buildings. As part of the demolition, three con-

tainers of salvaged heritage construction materi-als were removed and donated to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

Targa Contracting Ltd. conducted the demo-lition of the existing buildings and completed the rough excavation in preparation for the gen-eral contractor to begin substation building con-struction in May 2011. PCL Constructors West-coast is the general contractor for construction of the substation.

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Following construction of the build-ing, the electrical equipment that pro-vides the functionality of the substation will be installed. Equipment is being supplied from countries across the globe, including Germany and Korea, as well as local suppliers.

The project is expected to be commis-sioned in spring 2013.

Existing Substation UpgradesThe new transmission circuits supply-ing the new Mount Pleasant Substation will provide transmission supply from two existing substations. At each of these stations a new 230 kV Gas Insulated Switchgear bay was added so that the new circuits could connect to the BC Hydro transmission system. This new switchgear was manufactured in Korea by Hyosung Corporation. Installation of the new switchgear began in February 2011 and was completed in September 2011. Hyo-

sung used a local company, Western Pacific En-terprises, to install the switchgear.

Marcel Reghelini is currently project manager for the VCCT project and director, transmission programs and projects. He has a BSc Mechani-cal Engineering and MBA from the University of Alberta. He has more than 20 years of experi-ence in the energy utility industry, the past six years of which have been with BC Hydro.

Horizontal Directional

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Electrical

finding entry level employees with diver-sified skills can often be a difficult task for employers, especially in the heavy industrial fields. That task becomes a

little bit easier for Electrical/Instrumentation (EI) companies looking to increase the quality of their employee portfolio with knowledgeable apprentices with the introduction of Thompson Rivers University’s (TRU’s) new Industrial Elec-trician/ Industrial Instrumentation Mechanic dual trade entry level program.

An industrial electrician is a professional who has specialized knowledge and skills related to equipment that can be found in an industrial set-ting. Industrial electricians install, maintain, and repair generators and alternators, switchgear, transformers, pumps, lighting, fibre optic and communication systems, as well as motors and their associated control systems; systems that are common in plants, mines, factories, and even shipyards and other industrial environments.

An industrial instrumentation mechanic is also an accomplished tradesperson, working in the industrial field, with the skills and knowledge to install, maintain, and troubleshoot the process monitoring and control systems required for the automation of industrial processes. Instrumenta-tion mechanics are often employed in the oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, and manufacturing sectors. These industries have instruments that measure, calibrate, transmit and record the flow of gases and liquids, temperature, pressure, and levels of liquids and other materials.

Industrial instrument mechanics and in-dustrial electricians are both nationally desig-nated trades’ people under the Inter-provincial

Red Seal program. This means they have gone through an apprenticeship program before be-coming qualified or ‘ticketed’ journeypersons. An apprenticeship is an agreement between an individual who works for a qualified person in order to learn a trade and an employer who re-quires a skilled worker. Each of the two trades have separate four year apprenticeships, but some of the tasks performed by each overlap. For this reason, it makes sense to offer a foundation pro-gram that combines the two. TRU is now offer-ing just such a course; B.C.’s first ever and only dual trade EI foundation program.

The idea of a dual trade course was originally conceived by Lindsay Langill, former senior lead for program standards and examinations at the Industry Training Authority (ITA) and now Dean of Trades at TRU, in order to combine like competencies shared by similar courses. That idea moved forward when the Resource Train-ing Organization (RTO) approached TRU to provide a program to match industry’s demand for skilled workers who will eventually have dual certification in electrical and instrumentation. The RTO represents employers in the mining and smelting, oil and gas, pulp and paper, solid wood and shipbuilding repair sectors’; it was es-tablished to manage the development of appren-ticeship training for the resource sector in BC. Trades people with technical skills in both elec-trical and instrumentation are fast becoming the preference of employers in the industrial setting.

And it’s working, the 29 week EI course pre-pares students entering the industrial workplace and provides them with in class theory as well as hands-on practical experience required to qualify

for credit for the first year of their apprenticeship in both trades. Students spend half of their time in class working on electrical theory and half in the shop doing practical labs. Successful stu-dents, once they have completed their on-the-job training hours, can then go on to enter their sec-ond year of either trade with the future potential of becoming ‘dual ticketed’. In fact, the ITA will now allow students to take two trades simulta-neously as opposed to the old system where stu-dents needed to complete one trade before going on to the next.

Students entering the industrial work environ-ment can look forward to a rewarding career. In a field with high retirement rates that will only get higher, there will be jobs available in the future and it makes sense that both industrial electri-cians and instrumentation mechanics are some of the highest paid workers with the best benefits. Highly skilled jobs are where growth opportuni-ties are and where the talent shortages exist. In an ever expanding and changing field where elec-trical malfunctions can quickly become costly it’s prudent to have educated, long term, dedicated employees who become more familiar with spe-cialized equipment and systems over time. Hav-ing had training in two trades gives the students more options and a big leg up when entering the workforce. An added bonus for students is the increasing ease with which they can transfer and be equally accepted from one province to another throughout their apprenticeship under the rules of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA). Employers can be assured that workers need not worry about their work based hours counting towards their apprenticeship when being transferred from job-sites on either side of the B.C./Alberta border.

Hiring apprentices that have come through courses like the one being offered at TRU is fast becoming the first choice among employers be-cause graduates walk on to the job site with the knowledge of the tools and materials of the trade, and the skills to make a useful contribution on the job site. This in turn reduces the time and money spent on on-the-job training which we all know is costly to the employers’ bottom line. Students from such courses ensure that you have qualified and productive employees that are sure to improve a company’s competitiveness in the future. Stepping onto the job with that knowl-edge in two trades makes that entry level em-ployee even more valuable to companies which already have both electricians and instrumenta-tion mechanics.

Jason Dabner is a journeyman electrician and electrical apprenticeship instructor at TRU in Kamloops, B.C. Contact him at [email protected]

diversified SkillsB.C.’s first dual trade program will help to meet demand for skilled workers.BY JASON DABNER


Public Works

the public works sector like many other sectors in Alberta continues to cope with a boom and bust economy tied directly to the oil and gas industry. As the price

of oil fluctuates so does the cost of equipment and materials in many sectors. The cost or availability of equipment and manpower can shift significantly when the oil industry is moving at its usual break-neck pace. Some communities feel this impact more than others but it does have impacts provincially and nationally. Projects or municipal programs bid when things are slow in no way resemble the results of the same bid when times are busy.

The provincial government just recently recog-nized some of these problems with a decision to support some of the infrastructure deficit in the City of Cold Lake. To understand the burden this pace of development places on a municipality one has only to look at the last 10 years in the rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Many communi-ties in Alberta face the same problems as Fort Mc-Murray to a greater or lesser degree. The decision to change boundaries and recognize unique cir-cumstances will have many Alberta municipalities following the outcomes. One thing is certain the problems are global and getting worse. Infrastruc-ture deficits, aging workforce, competition for qualified skilled workers are only a few among the

challenges that will be faced by the public works professionals in the next few years.

On a daily basis these professionals serve the im-portant function of looking after our communities. No better example of how this can impact a com-munity can be found than the Town of Slave Lake. Slave Lake found itself devastated by a wildfire that destroyed much of the community this year. The community of 7,000 people lost more than 400 houses and 700 apartment units along with many businesses. Even the town office was lost in the fire.

The Alberta Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) in consultation with the Canadian Public Works Association president was quick to react to a call for help. More than 20 professionals from many Alberta communities gave their time and travelled to Slave Lake to help out. This was above and beyond the emergency assistance (and there was a huge amount of that), this was for the day to day operations of a community. Over 20 skilled professionals travelled to Slave Lake to assist a very tired and overworked public works department. For 10 weeks the community saw these polite strang-ers running the sweepers and graders and doing all the day to day public works duties. What a great ex-ample of how we work together.

In a time when organizations like ours are shrinking the Alberta Chapter is still gaining

Serving Our CommunitiesBY CARRY GRANT

members and growing in many ways. In many circles the Alberta Chapter of the APWA is a very well keep secret. For those involved in the chap-ter though, they understand as a chapter of the APWA the Alberta group has many unique and useful features. We continue to establish partner-ships and develop new and exciting educational programs. Construction project inspection and management, supervision and leadership, gravel road maintenance and many others are some of the courses offered throughout the year. Our public works supervisor program is recognized by many municipalities in their job postings.

Public works professionals include those who manage community water, sewer and public trans-portation as well as those who are responsible for maintaining public buildings and grounds. Public works professionals play a vital role in keeping our communities safe and functioning smoothly.

Carry Grant has worked in the public works sector for 34 years providing services for com-munities in Saskatchewan and Alberta. He is currently the president of Alberta Chapter of the American Public Works Association. He will turn over the reigns of the chapter at the Oc-tober conference this year. For more info, visit www.publicworks.ca


Public Works

Construction of the new Royal Alberta Museum in the heart of downtown Edmonton is expected to begin in spring 2012. Located at the north-

east corner of 103A Avenue and 99th Street, the 389,000 square foot facility will double the size of the existing museum.

The five-storey structure will feature twice as much gallery space, allowing for the extensive collection of human and natural history artifacts to be housed in one facility.

The Ledcor Design-Build (Alberta) Inc. team of Ledcor Construction, DIALOG Design and Lundholm Associates Architects was selected as the winning consortium following the evalua-tion of four proponents shortlisted for the design build project.

“We are delighted to have our team selected to work together with the province and with the museum to realize this important project,” says DIALOG architect and design lead Donna Clare. “This design for the new Royal Alberta Museum speaks to the uniqueness of our mu-seum, our city and our province. It is about the experience of the visitor and celebrates the stories and the artifacts of the people of Alberta.”

The overall design for the museum has an en-gaging sense of place and responds to the unique aspects of Edmonton and Alberta. The archi-tecture and the planning are finely tuned to the function of the museum.

“When we started this project we held a de-sign charrette and we asked everyone to write

down what Alberta means to him or her. What really struck us is that the responses were mostly about the powerful connection every-one felt to the land — it was about the sky, open space, parks and wilderness, and fishing and our communities,” says Clare. “We wanted to incorporate this sense of connection into the design.”

The museum will be a destination that offers multipurpose spaces such as a theatre, a café, large video screen visible from the street, and outdoor terraces. The design includes safe, efficient and pleasant environments for pedestrians and cy-clists through continuous linkages along streets and through park settings, easing the transition across major arterial roads and reducing conflict

Creating Civic PrideThe Royal Alberta Museum set for a makeover.

between cars, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians through streetscape and intersection design. The museum will offer a strong pedestrian oriented “walkable” environment.

“Our design focuses on the creation of an enduring legacy and a place of pride for genera-tions of Albertans,” says DIALOG’s principal-in-charge, Doug McConnell.

It will also feature underground connection to the LRT, which includes display space for the museum. There is also provision for a future high-speed rail station.

Alberta landscape architect Doug Carlyle, of Carlye + Associates, is also part of the design team commissioned to provide landscape design for the extensive site work on the project.


Public Works

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The approach to the landscape design is to develop a setting and public realm that is integrated and cohesive with the museum building, an extension con-necting with the surrounding city, and a dialogue between city and nature. There is a dynamic weaving between interior and exterior spaces.

Scheduled to open in 2015, the project is targeting a LEED Gold cer-tification and is expected to cost a total of $340 million. The facility will be built on land currently occupied by the post office. The current site in Glenora will continue to be used for public purposes.

“We are extremely pleased to be welcoming the new Royal Alberta Mu-seum into our downtown as another anchor in our vibrant and growing arts and culture district,” says Mayor Stephen Mandel. “They have chosen a design that reflects the importance of both the new location in the heart of our city, and more significantly, the legacy it will house. The museum will be a testament to the pride of all Albertans.”

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Public Works

A 2010 Olympic city and a truly island city by nature, the City of Richmond is entirely surrounded by water and as such, Richmond’s flood protec-

tion system is crucial to the city’s well-being. The city operates and maintains 39 drainage pumps stations with a total of 110 pumps that have a combined operating capability of pumping more than one million gallons per minute. This system can be operated through the city’s SCADA sys-tem and is monitored on a 24/7 basis.

Fundamental to the City of Richmond’s abil-ity to provide flood protection service is a world-class system of dikes, gravity mainlines, ditches/canals/sloughs and drainage pump stations.

Existing and considerable planned growth in the West Cambie quarter section following Canada Line construction and the 2010 Winter Olympics has resulted in the need to upgrade ex-isting flood protection system capacities.

The existing Cambie Drainage Pump Station was constructed in 1974 and accordingly housed ageing and antiquated pumping related equip-ment. The existing station pumping capacity of 2.02 cubic metres per second was far less than the required capacity upgrade to 4.2 cubic metres per second required to meet the service levels in the re-developed West Cambie area.

The Cambie Drainage Pump Station is located on the popular, highly utilized Fraser River Middle Arm dike/trail system. This pump station site also represented the main ‘gate’ to the Olympic speed skating oval from the newly constructed Canada

Line, Aberdeen Station and was part of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games torch relay route. The existing pump station area was very basic from a public trail and pump station access viewpoint. This area was transformed into a significant sinu-ous trail system with a large public plaza viewing area offering spectacular views associated with the Fraser River Middle Arm and all its amenities.

This project presented numerous opportuni-ties involving synergies not normally available on municipal infrastructure upgrade projects.

• A pumping capacity upgrade from 2.02 cu-bic metres per second to 4.2 cubic metres per second through the use of 3-130 HP KSB variable frequency drive pumps

• Removal of the PCB filled BC Hydro trans-former, conversion from 480 volt to 600 volt service and associated infrastructure upgrade

• Construction of the large public plaza/pump station maintenance area and a cantilevered pier over the Fraser River

• Construction of a green roof on the Motor Control Centre (MCC) building

• Use of energy efficient LED lighting throughout the project including Olympic Rings colours embedded lights in the pump station portion of the public plaza

• Upgrade of the dike system to meet sea level rise projected to Year 2100

• Construction of a combined pump station access road with a vibrant park trails system

award Winning WorkCambie Drainage Pump Station and Park Plaza Upgrade.BY JIM YOUNG


Public Works

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• Installation of significant public art fea-tures (2010 Bienalle Art Works by Jun Ren, Water #10)

• Sliplining of the existing pump station out-fall structure

• Installation of a permanent back-up generator.

Construction of the station was completed over the period September 2010 to January 2011 and posed challenges and difficulties, many which were unique to Richmond’s loca-tion and topography. These complexities along with the very appealing landscape and archi-tecture were recognized and Richmond was awarded the 2010 Project of the Year by the BC Public Works Association.

A few of the more significant challenges in-cluded a compressed time schedule due to the pending 2010 Winter Olympics and torch re-lay and the need to have the increased pump-ing capacity and plaza in place prior to the rainy season. To help meet this schedule, the city pre-purchased the pumps and motor control centre, allowing the contractor to begin construction immediately upon award. The contractor was also required to provide a bypass system with a minimum of 50 per cent of the existing pump station capacity.

The two existing 1050 mm steel diameter grav-ity flow outfall pipes underwent a competency assessment during the design stage and it was found that there was significant deterioration due to corrosion and joint displacement. Re-placement of the outfall pipes through open ex-cavation would have been a daunting task given the requirement to open an enormous excavation in the dike together with managing Fraser River water in all tidal scenarios. This challenge was solved through sliplining with high density poly-ethylene (HDPE) pipe that was slightly smaller in diameter than the in-situ pipe. Work could only be accomplished in two stages at the lowest of the low tide situations whereby the pipe was floated into position and then pulled/pushed into the existing pipe over a period of approxi-mately three hours in a two-day period. The next stage was grouting the annular space with a low strength, high flow cementitious grout during the next extreme low tide situation approximate-ly one month later. This entire process was ac-complished while keeping the gravity flow func-tion of the pump station in service at all times, and the ability to resume the station pumping function with minimal notice.

Site working space was also highly constrained as it was bounded by the Fraser River, River Road and Cambie Road, and required smart sequenc-ing of construction activities. As the work was centred in the city’s dike system, several precau-tions had to be taken to protect this important infrastructure.

Jim V. Young, P. Eng., graduated from UBC as a civil engineer in 1984. He has worked with the City of Richmond as manager engineering design and construction since 2002.

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Legal File

while it is tempting to immediately sign a new subcontract and com-mence the project, subcontractors should review draft agreements

thoroughly and propose revisions to ensure that the agreement reflects how you expect the proj-ect to run. Below we discuss some of the types of clauses which arise in subcontracts and should be carefully considered prior to signing.

Payment There is a continuing trend to insert clauses into subcontracts that limit the subcontractor’s en-titlement to payment until the general contrac-tor is paid by the owner. The payment clause in a subcontract is probably the most important clause and is typically framed as either a “pay-when-paid” or a “pay-if-paid” clause. The differ-ences between these clauses can be significant and attention should be paid to how the clause is worded.

If the clause states that the general contractor will pay the subcontractor within a certain pe-riod of time after the general contractor receives payment from the owner, it is considered a “pay-when-paid” clause. The courts are of the view that “pay-when-paid” clauses merely delay pay-ment and the general contractor will eventually have to pay the subcontractor even if the owner fails to pay the general contractor.

This is to be contrasted from a “pay-if-paid” clause, where the general contractor must receive payment from the owner before any obligation to pay the subcontractor arises. The “pay-if-paid” clause puts the subcontractor at a serious disad-vantage. There is no contractual relationship be-tween the owner and the subcontractor, and as such the subcontractor is not in a position to re-quest that the owner pay the general contractor. Moreover, the subcontractor is not in a position to request financial information from the owner which would be important to assess the financial

strength of the owner prior to entering into the subcontract with the general contractor.

Incorporation of Prime Contract Virtually all standard form contracts, and many custom designed subcontracts, contain a clause that incorporate by reference the terms of the prime contract. For example, you will often see language such as “whereas the Subcontractor has agreed with the Prime Contractor to be bound by the provisions of the Prime Contract”. This clause incorporates all of the prime contract doc-uments into the subcontract. The danger with this type of clause is that the incorporation of a prime contract clause could transfer responsibil-ity for the project from the general contractor to the subcontractor.

The prime contract documents include not only technical plans and specifications pertain-ing to the subcontractor’s products, but also contain many other matters that govern the con-tractual relationship between the owner and the prime contractor. This flow through clause often provides that the subcontractor assumes toward the general contractor all the obligations that the general contractor assumes toward the owner. Although the best option for the subcontractor may be to delete the flow through clause in its entirety, general contractors typically want the subcontractor obligated to the general contrac-tor in the same manner that the general contrac-tor is obligated to the owner. A compromise is therefore to tailor these clauses to exclude the transfer of obligations in matters such as insur-ance, indemnities, and warranties.

IndemnityThere are three types of indemnity clauses: (1) limited; (2) intermediate; and (3) broad form. A limited indemnity clause imposes liability upon the subcontractor only to the extent of the sub-contractor’s fault or negligence. This is the most

Negotiating a Subcontract

favourable type of indemnity clause for a subcon-tractor. Under an intermediate indemnity clause, the subcontractor assumes all liability except for the sole negligence of the general contractor or owner. Finally, the broad form indemnity clause imposes the entire risk of loss upon the subcon-tractor, even for the sole negligence of the gen-eral contractor or owner. This is the least favour-able type of indemnity clause for a subcontractor. A subcontractor should always try to reduce the scope of an indemnity clause to a limited form.

Additional InsuredSome contracts obligate the subcontractor to make the general contractor an additional in-sured under the subcontractor’s general liability insurance policy. While appearing innocuous at first, the general contractor may be entitled to any benefits and coverage afforded under the policy to the subcontractor. For example, if the general contractor was sued over any mat-ter related to the project, the subcontractor’s insurance company may be required to provide a defence and pay any settlements or judgments connected with the suit. The negligence of the subcontractor is irrelevant to the general con-tractor’s rights under the insurance policy. How-ever, the subcontractor’s insurance premiums will escalate notwithstanding their blamelessness on the project.

termination for ConvenienceA termination for convenience clause gives a party the right to terminate the contract with-out cause and without liability to the terminated party. A problem that may arise from this type of clause is that if the subcontract is terminated, the subcontractor could still be obligated to pay for its own sub-trade’s services, materials or labour. To alleviate this risk, the subcontractor should attempt to insert a provision into the agree-ment that ensures that the terminating party is responsible for all cancellation charges and dam-ages caused by such termination. To add further protection, the subcontractor should try and in-clude its own termination for convenience clause in any sub-trade or materials orders.

These are some of the types of clauses to look for when negotiating subcontracts. To avoid problems during the project, agreements should be read carefully at the outset to ensure that the wording of the agreement reflects your practices and intentions for the project.

Patrick S. Cleary is a business lawyer and member of the construction and engineering practice at Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang LLP. Rebecca J. Cleary practices com-mercial litigation as a member of the construc-tion and engineering practice with the firm.

BY PATRICK CLEARY AND REBECCA CLEARY


Legal File

drug and alcohol testing has long been and remains a topic of interest to the construction industry. Where safety is a top priority, testing is a straightfor-

ward method to help screen and reduce risk. The legalities of such testing continue to evolve, and there have been positive developments in the law on drug and alcohol testing. Two recent cases are cause for optimism in the use of testing programs.

Random Alcohol testing UpheldThe New Brunswick Court of Appeal recently issued an important decision upholding random alcohol testing at an Irving pulp and paper mill.

The case involved a random alcohol testing program at a unionized paper mill. Testing was limited to safety-sensitive positions. It was con-ducted on a random basis determined by an off-site computer. In any 12-month period, the com-puter would select 10 per cent of safety-sensitive employees for testing. Testing was by breathalyz-er, and the threshold blood-alcohol content was 0.04 per cent. The employee in question never drank alcohol and therefore tested negative for alcohol. Nevertheless, he filed a grievance alleg-ing that the testing program was unreasonable.

The arbitration board upheld the grievance and determined that the testing program was unreasonable. The board held that because the paper mill was not shown to be “ultra-danger-ous” — like a nuclear plant, airline, railroad, or chemical plant — the employer had to demon-strate there was a prior history of alcohol-relat-ed incidents or impaired work performance in order to justify the program. The board found that employee privacy rights outweighed any additional risk which would arise from a lack of random alcohol testing.

The matter then proceeded to the courts. The Court of Appeal ultimately reached the follow-ing conclusions:

There is no legal difference between a dan-gerous workplace and an ultra-dangerous work-place. The paper mill was a dangerous workplace. (One would expect most construction sites would readily satisfy this test, especially in indus-trial construction.)

When dealing with a dangerous workplace, mandatory random alcohol testing is justified without the employer having to demonstrate there is an alcohol problem in the workplace. An employer does not have to wait for a catastrophe before taking proactive safety measures.

Random alcohol testing is reasonable when it is done by breathalyzer and only applies to employees holding safety-sensitive positions. Breathalyzers are minimally intrusive.

Although the court suggested that random drug testing should logically be subject to the same rea-soning as alcohol testing, it recognized that ran-dom drug testing is more difficult to uphold. In fact, many cases have found that mandatory ran-dom drug testing will not be defensible. Although random drug testing has the same deterrent effect as random alcohol testing, it is limited by the fact that drug testing does not measure present impair-ment (at least not to anywhere near the same de-gree as alcohol testing). Drug testing is also viewed as being more intrusive than breathalyzer tests.

Although random drug testing continues to be more challenging, there are encourag-ing signs in Alberta with Rapid Site Access Programs (RSAP). RSAPs are voluntary drug testing programs which have been developed through the joint effort of owners, contrac-tors, and unions. In addition to safety benefits,

participation in the program helps workers through expedited site access without advance testing, less testing on unpaid time, and greater privacy while in aftercare.

While random testing requires caution, the opportunities for random testing in Canada have never been greater.

Site Access testing UpheldIn early 2011, the Alberta Court of Appeal dealt with the case of a worker who alleged he was discriminated against by Syncrude’s pre-ac-cess alcohol and drug testing policy. The worker was employed by a contractor working on Syn-crude’s construction site and was required to pass Syncrude’s alcohol and drug test before he could be transferred to site. He failed and Syn-crude prevented him from working at the site. The worker filed a discrimination complaint.

The Human Rights Tribunal determined that, although the worker was actually employed by the contractor, Syncrude was also considered an em-ployer under the Act. Two levels of court disagreed.

The Court of Appeal found Syncrude was not an employer. The court recognized that the definition of employer in the Act is not necessarily limited to those in a traditional employer/employee rela-tionship. However, the fact that a party indirectly “utilizes the services” of a worker is not sufficient to create an employment relationship. You must look at context to determine employment.

The court confirmed that the relationship be-tween the complainant and Syncrude was too remote to justify a finding of employment. It went on to acknowledge its finding means that no remedy would be available for a worker who is excluded from private property by virtue of a discriminatory policy. The court brushed aside this concern by confirming that not all discrimi-nation is unlawful — only discrimination pro-hibited by the Act. “Access to private property” is not one of the protected activities. In the context of human rights legislation, it is lawful for own-ers to regulate who is allowed on their property.

This case supports the continued use of site ac-cess testing, something of particular value to the construction industry.

ConclusionWhile the above developments are positive news, it is important that employers continue to be care-ful in how they go about drug and alcohol testing. There are still many pitfalls and examples of em-ployers tripping up in the use of such programs.

Thomas Ross is a partner at McLennan Ross LLP. Contact him at [email protected] or 403.303.9124.

Is drug and alcohol Testing Getting Easier?BY THOMAS ROSS


architect Corner

Slave Lake Government Centre was lost in the fire that swept the Town of Slave Lake on May 15, 2011. Hundreds of buildings and homes were lost — but

largest of these was the brand new Slave Lake Gov-ernment Centre and Library. The building appears to have caught fire from the roof, and once the roofing and insulation started to burn, the metal deck gave way. The heavy timber structure, and especially the sunshades, made of reclaimed glu-lams were among the last to fall prey to the flames.

The fire and the huge sense of loss engulfed us for weeks, until we were finally able to go see the site in early June. After a wake at our office, to come to terms with the shock of this loss, we started to see our way through to the reconstruc-tion. First we met the adjustors and their consul-tants, and explored the idea of a LEED building, and what it might mean in terms of the decon-struction and reconstruction of the building. We talked about saving as much of the building as possible — to minimize waste heading to the

landfill. We talked about what parts of the building could in fact be salvaged. Interestingly, the south part of the building was still standing after the fire, and this part will be renovated first, to enable occupancy of the courts and the other government departments that are in that part of the building.

The slab was in good condition, in most areas, protected by the linoleum

floor finishes. Little spalling and some dam-aged caused by fire-fighting was all that needed repair. Foundations are intact and are being re-used. With conditions confirmed, the insurer’s adjuster, working with the Town of Slave Lake, engaged Manasc Isaac as well as all the members of our original consulting team, to proceed with the modifications of the original construction documents, to enable re-construction.

The masonry wells stood up well, protecting the contents of the mechanical rooms from the fire outside of the room (opposite to the design in-tention). Much of the mechanical equipment and some of the larger pieces of electrical equipment survived the fire, and are being prepared for reuse.

Next steps included engaging a new construc-tion manager — PCL presented the successful proposal — and working closely with the insur-ers to quantify the loss as well as preparing for the reconstruction. Demolition contractors were engaged to carefully remove debris, and re-cycle what could be salvaged. All materials removed

from the site were carefully tracked, to enable the LEED credits to be documented.

The south building also suffered from the se-vere storms that followed the fire in Slave Lake — water entered the open building and damaged drywall, flooring and ceilings.

With the site now clean and clear of debris, the remaining mechanical equipment was cleaned and restored for reuse. The reconstruction and temporary servicing of the south building is un-derway and the tender for reconstruction of the north building is proceeding, with a view to mov-ing forward with construction in the fall of 2011.

With some good planning and execution, we hope the building will look the same as it did in the winter of 2013. With the leadership of Town Council and town staff, the design, construction and insurance teams are proceeding with re-con-struction and re-documenting the LEED credits, to enable the restoration to result in a LEED sil-ver building that once again serves the town, the library and the Government of Alberta, as well as the entire community of Slave Lake.

Vivian Manasc is senior principal of Manasc Isaac, an award winning architectural firm in Edmonton Alberta. A Canadian leader in sus-tainable design, she is also past president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a di-rector of the Canada Green Building Council, and an adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Calgary.

rebuilding after a FireBY VIVIAN MANASC

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2011 rESOurcE

guiDE

construction business September/October 20112

2011 Resource Guide

Category IndexAcoustic FinishesAcoustic & Noise Control ...............2Architectural Specialties ...............2Window Treatments & Finishes ........2

Allied ServicesAccounting ................................3Bonds & Certificates .....................3Construction Management ..............3Consulting Services ......................3Design Build ...............................3Engineering ...............................3Estimating .................................3General Contractors .....................3Project Management ....................4Property Management ...................4Roof Survey ...............................4Roofing .....................................4Software Sales ............................4

Architectural/Building Products & ServicesShading Systems..........................4Concrete, Metal, Wood & Plastics......Architectural Custom Metal Fabricators ......................4Concrete - Welded Wire Fabric ........4Concrete Forms & Accessories .........4Concrete Materials & Methods .........5Concrete Restoration ....................5Fibrous Reinforced Polymers ...........5Metal Fastenings .........................5Metal Support Brackets .................5Steel Reinforcing .........................5Structural Aluminum ....................5Structural Steel ..........................5

Decorative & Lighting ProductsDesigner Showrooms ....................5Fabrics .....................................6Wall Coverings ............................6

Flooring, Tile & CarpetFlooring ....................................6Flooring-Resilient ........................6Tile .........................................6Tile-Ceramic ..............................6Tile-Marble & Granite ...................6

General RequirementsPortable Buildings........................6

MasonryEpoxy Mortar .............................6Externally Bonded Strengthening Systems ....................................7Masonry ....................................7

Professional ServicesArchitecture ..............................7Associations ...............................7Consulting Engineers ....................7Interior Design ............................7Property Management ...................7

SiteworkAsbestos Removal ........................7Concrete Restoration ....................7Site Offices ................................8

Acoustic Finishes

Acoustic & Noise Control

GWP Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products Inc.424-51st Avenue South EastCalgary, AB T2H 0N7Phone: (403) 255-3550Fax: (403) 686-2592Email: [email protected]: www.wallworks.comContact Name: Lyle FullerThe GWP Wallworks Group offers complete Acoustic Solutions for Residential, Commercial and Industrial applications. Manufacturers and distributors for Fabri-Lok Trak Systems, Modular Panels, Baffles, Diffusers, Isolators, Graphics, Murals, Specialized Window Treatment. We are an international company with a head office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and local sales offices throughout Canada, with affiliations in the United States, the Middle East, China and Europe.

Architectural Specialties


Window Treatments & Finishes


Buyers’ Guide 2011

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www.constructionbusiness.ca.dnnmax.com/BuyersGuide.aspx construction business 3

Allied Services

Accounting

Constructive Solutions175 East 15th Avenue, Suite 3Vancouver, BC V5T 2P6Phone: (604) 878-8100Toll Free: (877) 777-1107Fax: (604) 684-8150Email: [email protected]: www.constructivesolutions.comContact Name: Donna Baker

Bonds & Certificates

Travelers CanadaStation 2500, 650 West Georgia, PO Box 11542Vancouver, BC V6B 4N7Phone: (604) 682-2663Toll Free: (800) 555-9431Fax: (604) 682-2664Email: [email protected]: www.travelerscanada.caContact Name: Aimee Mather

Construction Management

®

Fibrwrap81 Golden Drive, Unit 110ACoquitlam, BC V3K 6R2Phone: (604) 945-5429Fax: (604) 945-5430Email: [email protected]: www.fibrwrapconstruction.comWebsite 2: www.fyfeco.comFibrwrap® Construction Canada Limited is the installation company for Fyfe Company LLC, Tyfo® Fibrwrap® Advanced Composite Systems. This is the first externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) system used for the strengthening, repair & restoration of masonry, concrete, steel, and wooden structures. The company’s staff of in-house engineers is ready to assist you, at no cost, with advanced composite system information. Fibrwrap provides expert Pipeline Rehabilitation, Concrete Repair, Epoxy Injection, Corrosion Mitigation, and Specialty Coatings service.

Wales McLelland Construction5489 Byrne Road, Suite 166Burnaby, BC V5J 3J1Phone: (604) 638-1212Fax: (604) 638-1211Email: [email protected] Name: Doug Scott

Consulting Services


Design Build

®



Engineering

®

Fibrwrap81 Golden Drive, Unit 110ACoquitlam, BC V3K 6R2Phone: (604) 945-5429Fax: (604) 945-5430Email: [email protected]: www.fibrwrapconstruction.comWebsite 2:www.fyfeco.comFibrwrap® Construction Canada Limited is the installation company for Fyfe Company LLC, Tyfo® Fibrwrap® Advanced Composite Systems. This is the first externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) system used for the strengthening, repair & restoration of masonry, concrete, steel, and wooden structures. The company’s staff of in-house engineers is ready to assist you, at no cost, with advanced composite system information. Fibrwrap provides expert Pipeline Rehabilitation, Concrete Repair, Epoxy Injection, Corrosion Mitigation, and Specialty Coatings service.

Estimating


General Contractors

Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc.PO Box 49125, 2000 Three Bentall Centre 595 Burrard StreetVancouver, BC V7X 1J1Phone: (604) 622-6550Fax: (604) 687-6088Email: [email protected]: www.acciona-na.comContact Name: Lee MadrugaCalgary, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (403) 355-1614Toronto, ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (416) 214-7042Montreal, QC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (514) 658-6153

Buyers’ Guide 2011

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2011 Resource Guide

®



Project Management



Property Management


Roof Survey

Aase Roof Inspection Ltd.9255 Robson RoadPrince George, BC V2N 5B3Phone (250) 614-3369Phone: 2 (250) 964-2204Fax: (250) 964-2287Email: [email protected] Name: Mons Aase, President RRO

Roofing


Software Sales


Architectural/Building Products & Services

Shading Systems

Fraser Shading Systems18568 96th AvenueSurrey, BC V4N 3P9Phone: (604) 881-4881Fax: (604) 881-4882Email: [email protected]: www.frasershading.comContact Name: Kerry Nikolai

Concrete, Metal, Wood & Plastics

Architectural Custom Metal Fabricators

Command Industries630 Adams CourtKelowna, BC V1X 7S2Phone: (250) 765-0688Fax: (250) 765-0688Email: [email protected]: www.command.bc.caCommand Industries Inc., Kelowna B.C. is a custom steel, stainless and aluminum fabricating, manufacturing and repair facility. With CWB welding certification for steel, stainless and aluminum. This includes industrial, commercial and architectural fabrication. We also have a Special Vehicles Division that can provide custom solutions for any work and service vehicles. Call us at (250) 765-0239 or visit our website at www.command.bc.ca

Concrete - Welded Wire Fabric

Harris Rebar - A Nucor Company790 Vantage WayDelta, BC V4G 1A7Phone: (604) 946-1231Fax: (604) 946-8414Website: www.harrisrebar.comAbbotsford, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (604) 864-8656Delta, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (604) 946-1231Kelowna, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (250) 766-0608Nanaimo, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (250) 722-3378Calgary, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (403) 272-8801Fort Saskatchewan, AB . . . . . . . . . (780) 992-0777Leduc, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (780) 986-7055Regina, SK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (306) 352-1217Saskatoon, SK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (306) 242-8455

Concrete Forms & Accessories


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2011 Resource Guide

®



Project Management



Property Management


Roof Survey


Roofing


Software Sales


Architectural/Building Products & Services

Shading Systems

Fraser Shading Systems18568 96th AvenueSurrey, BC V4N 3P9Phone: (604) 881-4881Fax: (604) 881-4882Email: [email protected]: www.frasershading.comContact Name: Kerry Nikolai

Concrete, Metal, Wood & Plastics

Architectural Custom Metal Fabricators


Concrete - Welded Wire Fabric


Concrete Forms & Accessories


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Concrete Materials & Methods


Concrete Restoration


Fibrous Reinforced Polymers

®


Metal Fastenings


Metal Support Brackets


Steel Reinforcing


Structural Aluminum


Structural Steel


Decorative & Lighting Products

Designer Showrooms

Crown Wallpaper & Fabrics88 Ronson DriveEtobicoke, ON M9W 1B9Phone: (416) 245-2900Toll Free: (800) 268-1300Email: [email protected] Name: Earl Cohen, Director of SalesCrown Wallpaper & Fabrics is a leading Resource in Canada for wallcovering, fabrics, decorative trims and accessories for residential and commercial applications. Crown distributes exclusive and specialty brands from around the world, serving the Interior Design, Commercial and Retail segments, with full-time dedicated Account Executives from coast to Coast, and trade-only showrooms in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

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2011 Resource Guide

Fabrics


Wall Coverings


Flooring, Tile & Carpet

Flooring

MAPEI Inc.7440 Vantage WayDelta, BC V4G 1H1Phone: (604) 940-0002Toll Free: (800) 361-9309Fax: (604) 940-2572Email: [email protected]: www.mapei.comContact Name: Dave Hamilton

Flooring-Resilient


Tile

Daltile Canada2770 Bentall StreetVancouver, BC V5M 4H4Phone: (604) 251-8995Fax: (604) 251-3987Email: [email protected]: www.daltile.comContact Name: Brian Unrau

Tile-Ceramic


Tile-Marble & Granite


General Requirements

Portable Buildings

ATCO Structures & Logistics5155 Crowchild Trail South WestCalgary, AB T3E 1T9Phone: (403) 292-7600Toll Free: (800) 575-2826Fax: (403) 292-7575Email: [email protected]: www.atcosl.comATCO Structures & Logistics offers temporary and permanent modular buildings, workforce accommodations, camp and site services, and industrial noise reduction technologies worldwide. With 16 locations across Canada, ASL has everything from mobile site office trailers and lavatories, to modular office complexes and classrooms, ready to meet your specific shelter needs.Fort McMurray, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . (780) 714-6773Spruce Grove, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . (780) 962-3111Langley, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (604) 856-0711Prince George, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . (250) 561-2255

Masonry

Epoxy Mortar

®


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2011 Resource Guide

Fabrics


Wall Coverings


Flooring, Tile & Carpet

Flooring


Flooring-Resilient


Tile


Tile-Ceramic


Tile-Marble & Granite


General Requirements

Portable Buildings


Masonry

Epoxy Mortar

®


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Externally Bonded Strengthening Systems

®

Fibrwrap81 Golden Drive, Unit 110ACoquitlam, BC V3K 6R2Phone: (604) 945-5429Fax: (604) 945-5430Email: [email protected]: www.fi brwrapconstruction.comWebsite 2: www.fyfeco.comFibrwrap® Construction Canada Limited is the installation company for Fyfe Company LLC, Tyfo® Fibrwrap® Advanced Composite Systems. This is the fi rst externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) system used for the strengthening, repair & restoration of masonry, concrete, steel, and wooden structures. The company’s staff of in-house engineers is ready to assist you, at no cost, with advanced composite system information. Fibrwrap provides expert Pipeline Rehabilitation, Concrete Repair, Epoxy Injection, Corrosion Mitigation, and Specialty Coatings service.

Masonry

®



Professional Services

Architecture

DIALOG613 Alexander Street, Unit 406Vancouver, BC V6A 1E1Phone: (604) 255-1169Fax: (604) 255-1790Email: [email protected]: www.designdialog.caContact Name: Leah Nyrose - Regional Director, Communications

Associations

Alberta Wood WORKS!10709 Jasper Avenue, Unit 500Edmonton, AB T5J 3N3Phone: (780) 392-1952Fax: (780) 455-0505Email: [email protected]: www.wood-works.orgContact Name: Rory KoskaAlberta Wood WORKS! is a project of the Canadian Wood Council that promotes the economic and environmental benefi ts of wood construction through training, education initiatives, networking and technical support. Building with wood is synonymous with a green lifestyle. Wood is renewable and saves money through energy effi ciency. Wood WORKS! encourages designers, builders, and consumers to pursue sustainable wood construction in our communities.

Consulting Engineers

Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.Email: [email protected]: www.rjc.caOver six decades delivering excellence in: Structural Engineering, Building Science, Structural Restoration and Parking Planning.Calgary, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (403) 283-5073Edmonton, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (780) 452-2325Lethbridge, AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (403) 320-0467Nanaimo, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (250) 716-1550Vancouver, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (604) 738.0048Victoria, BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (250) 386-7794Kitchener, ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (519) 954-6392Toronto, ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (416) 977.5335


Interior Design


Property Management

Barclay Street Real Estate Ltd.407-8th Avenue South West, Suite 200Calgary, AB T2P 1B5Phone: (403) 290-0178Phone 2: (403) 629-1117Fax: (403) 262-1314Email: [email protected]: www.barclaystreet.comContact Name: Dennis B. Villeneuve

Sitework

Asbestos Removal

Coast Mountain Thermal Inc.

1

Coast Mountain

Coast Mountain Thermal Inc.17918 55th Avenue, Suite 9Surrey, BC V3S 6C8Phone: (604) 575-8234Phone 2: (604) 834-5012Fax: (604) 575-8235Email: [email protected] Name: Dean Dyck

Concrete Restoration

®


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2011 Resource Guide

Site Offices


Company Listing IndexAase Roof Inspection Ltd. ...................................................................3

Acciona Infrastructures Canada Inc. .......................................................3

Alberta Wood Works ..........................................................................7

ATCO Structures & Logistics ..............................................................6, 8

Coast Mountain Thermal Inc. ...............................................................7

Command Industries .......................................................................4, 5

Constructive Solutions ...................................................................3, 4

Crown Wallpaper & Fabrics ..............................................................5, 6

Daltile Canada .................................................................................6

DIALOG .........................................................................................7

Fibrwrap ..........................................................................3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Fraser Shading Systems ......................................................................4

GWP Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products Inc. ...................................2

Harris Rebar - A Nucor Company .................................................... 4, 5, 7

MAPEI Inc. ......................................................................................6

Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. .............................................................7

Travelers Canada ..............................................................................3

Wales McLelland Construction ...........................................................3, 4

Notes

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CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS

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BC & ALBERTA’S CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE

January/February 2007 | Vol. 4 No. 2

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OLYMPIC CONSTRUCTION

BONDING AND INSURANCE

ROOFING

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LEGAL FILE

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2011 Resource Guide

Site Offices


Company Listing IndexAase Roof Inspection Ltd. ...................................................................3

Acciona Infrastructures Canada Inc. .......................................................3

Alberta Wood Works ..........................................................................7

ATCO Structures & Logistics ..............................................................6, 8

Coast Mountain Thermal Inc. ...............................................................7

Command Industries .......................................................................4, 5

Constructive Solutions ...................................................................3, 4

Crown Wallpaper & Fabrics ..............................................................5, 6

Daltile Canada .................................................................................6

DIALOG .........................................................................................7

Fibrwrap ..........................................................................3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Fraser Shading Systems ......................................................................4

GWP Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products Inc. ...................................2

Harris Rebar - A Nucor Company .................................................... 4, 5, 7

MAPEI Inc. ......................................................................................6

Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. .............................................................7

Travelers Canada ..............................................................................3

Wales McLelland Construction ...........................................................3, 4

Notes

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Richmond Oval


January/February 2007 | Vol. 4 No. 2

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OLYMPIC CONSTRUCTION

BONDING AND INSURANCE

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To advertise your products, services and expertise or for more information on customizing an advertising program, please contact:

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Advertiser ListingsAviva 31BCCSA 17BC Hydro OBCBFL Canada Insurance Services Inc 4Buildex 32/33Flynn 9Glotman Simpson 11ICS Group 15Jenkins Marzban Logan 21Langley Concrete Group 29Levelton 31RCABC IBCReliable Equipment 25Singleton Urquhart 25Task Construction Management 21Western One 10Wilson M Beck Insurance IFCWorkSafe BC 5ZINGA 29

Industry News

PHoto wINNERMatthew Skretting’s “8th Avenue Place Night” was the winners of Buildex Calgary’s third an-nual photo contest. His photo beat out more than 160 submissions. The architecture pho-tography competition allows students and amateur photographers to have their work showcased during the conference.

The annual tradeshow and conference is set to take place this November 8 & 9 at the BMO Centre in Calgary. For more informa-tion, visit www.buildexcalgary.com.

SEISMIC RISkAccording to a report from Coriolis Consult-ing, seismic upgrades to 48 Vancouver schools will cost $618 million. That is 40 per cent of the amount budgeted for seismic upgrades in B.C. The firm undertook a comprehensive seismic risk assessment of older school buildings for the Vancouver School Board.

Three options cited by the report include seis-mic upgrades, upgrades with general facility up-grades and full replacement.

Vancouver has the majority of at-risk build-ings, and the 48 buildings cited in the report are considered to be quite high risk in the event of an earthquake or other seismic event.

The British Columbia Ministry of Finance announced in 2005 that more than 700 schools in the province would need to be upgraded, at a cost of $1.5 billion.

ENERModAL’S NEw offICEEnermodal recently opened an office in Van-couver, its seventh Canadian office location. Located in the Howe St. offices of the MMM Group, Enermodal Vancouver will offer the full suite of Enermodal services: LEED consulting, energy efficiency engineering, building energy performance monitoring, building optimization for existing buildings, sustainable community design, building commissioning, and Net Zero ready M/E design.

CoNtRACt AwARdEdAECOM has been awarded a $4.6-million con-tract by the Government of Alberta Ministry of Transportation for the Macleod Trail/Stoney Trail Interchange project in Calgary.

AECOM will provide planning, design and con-struction administration for a new full cloverleaf interchange, two new structures over the MacLeod Trail and Canadian Pacific railway tracks, and the twinning of the Stoney Trail (Highway 22X). The upgrade will help handle the additional traffic vol-ume anticipated once the Southeast Stoney Trail is opened, scheduled for September 2013.

AECOM previously completed the design for two separate sections of the Calgary Ring Road, the Northeast Stoney Trail, and significant por-tions of the Northwest Stoney Trail.

PLAtINUM offICE towERA sustainable office building has been an-nounced by global financial giant Credit Suisse at the corner of Howe and Pender. Scheduled for completion by 2015, the tower is targeted to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design) Platinum and ‘Living Build-ing’ certifications.

The heritage 1929 Stock Exchange build-ing (along with an adjacent property on Pend-er) will be incorporated into the 30-storey, 400,000-square-foot tower. The planned tower is Credit Suisse’s first B.C. investment and would be the tallest in the company’s real estate inventory.

NEw ExECUtIvE dIRECtoRCharles Kelly has joined BC Ready-Mixed Con-crete Association as its new executive director. Before joining the BCRMCA Kelly was the Commissioner General for the United Nation’s World Urban Forum 3. He has also served as the chairman of the Cascadia Institute, and was a director of the Can/Am Border Trade Alliance and a member of the North American Institute executive committee. Kelly replaces outgoing executive director Carolyn Campbell, who will move to Kelowna to assume the role of direc-tor of communication and education for the BCRMCA.

80 YEARSEdmonton Construction Association celebrates 80 years. ECA will gather Oct. 29 to celebrate eight decades of service to the industry. ECA was incorporated in 1931 and is today one of the largest non-profit associations serving the com-mercial, institutional and industrial construction industry in Canada.

MACfARLANE NAMEd CEoDoug MacFarlane will be assuming the new role of president and CEO of ITC Construction Group. He is the current COO and vice-presi-dent of the company.

He takes over for the two founders of the com-pany, Peter Rezansoff and Tony McGill, who will become directors of the company.

MacFarlane has over 15 years at ITC Con-struction Group and has a background in resi-dential, commercial and civil construction.

Other appointments include Al Stowkowy as executive vice president of the Alberta divi-sion of ITC, and Brad Burnett, who has been appointed director of business development for Alberta and B.C.

LEdCoR toPSThe Ledcor Group of Companies was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2012. Ledcor also received this award in 2011. Em-ployers are evaluated by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and an academic advisory board made up of members from across Can-ada. Compared to its industry peers, it was determined that Ledcor offered some of the most progressive and forward-thinking pro-grams. Ledcor is one of Canada’s largest diver-sified construction companies with operations throughout North America.

GvHBA NEw CHAIRMembers of the Greater Vancouver Home Build-ers’ Association (GVHBA) elected Ben Taddei as their 2011/2012 chair at the association’s an-nual election meeting. Taddei is chief operating officer of ParkLane Homes and president of Blu-etree Homes, part of the ParkLane/WesGroup family of companies.

Elected to the 2011/2012 GVHBA executive committee were first vice-chair Blake Hudema, Genstar Development Company, Burnaby; second vice-chair Lynn Harrison, Harrison Marketing Re-sources, Port Moody; and secretary/treasurer Avtar Johl, Platinum Group of Companies, Surrey. Im-mediate past chair is Todd Senft, reVISION Cus-tom Home Renovations Inc., Vancouver.

File: 289CB_8.75x12.25-RCABC.indd Client: RCABC Pub: Construction Business

design one Size: 8.75” x 12.25” Date: March 14, 2011

CYAN MAGENTA YEllow BlACk

ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

9734 201st Street | Langley, BC | V1M 3E8 Tel 604 882 9734 Fax 604 882 1744 Email [email protected]

ENGINEERING VALUE... ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD

Leading the roofing industry into a dynamic future is a responsibility that

RCABC embraces enthusiastically. Our Architectural Sheet Metal Training

Centre is just one way that we demonstrate how we believe training is

such a vital part of building a strong roofing workforce. We focus on the

hands-on skills and management optimization that builds future industry

leaders. And we back it up with the best Guarantee program available.

Earning the trust of architects, municipalities, developers and

companies throughout the building industry – that’s the RCABC

Guarantee Corp’s commitment.

www.rcabc.org

File: 289CB_8.75x12.25-RCABC.indd Client: RCABC Pub: Construction Business

design one Size: 8.75” x 12.25” Date: March 14, 2011

CYAN MAGENTA YEllow BlACk

ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

9734 201st Street | Langley, BC | V1M 3E8 Tel 604 882 9734 Fax 604 882 1744 Email [email protected]

ENGINEERING VALUE... ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD

Leading the roofing industry into a dynamic future is a responsibility that

RCABC embraces enthusiastically. Our Architectural Sheet Metal Training

Centre is just one way that we demonstrate how we believe training is

such a vital part of building a strong roofing workforce. We focus on the

hands-on skills and management optimization that builds future industry

leaders. And we back it up with the best Guarantee program available.

Earning the trust of architects, municipalities, developers and

companies throughout the building industry – that’s the RCABC

Guarantee Corp’s commitment.

www.rcabc.org

Ad # P10885_StMarys_CB 14 SeP 2011 1044 100% APProved ByFILE NAME TRIM DA COLOURS BIG AD/CDP10885_StMarys_CB.indd 8.75 x 12.25 pk C M y KCLIENT BLEED AD PIC INFO

BC Hydro .125 each side Hi ResWRITER PROD

DOCKET LIVE PR FONTS

BHY GEN P10885 CS Helvetica Neue, DINDESCRIPTION FOLDS TO PAGE SEPS RUN OUTPUT

New Construction ad 1 of 1 PDFX1a Aug 26 PROOFREAD CLIENT

PUB NOTES

Construction Business

DDB CanaDa 1600 – 777 HornBy Street, VanCoUVer, BC, CanaDa V6Z 2t3 t 604 687 7911 F 604 640 4344

BEING POWER SMART MAKES BUSINESS SENSEWhen the expanded St. Mary’s Hospital in Sechelt opens in June 2012, it will be a showcase of the latest in safe patient care, where every patient will have his or her own room and bathroom, there will be separate sinks for staff, and everyone will benefit from maximum natural light and fresh air.

“St. Mary’s will be a model for how best to control diseases that can be transmitted from patient to patient,” says Dave Mackintosh, Director of Capital Projects for Vancouver Coastal Health. “At the same time, though, we wanted to make sure this expansion was energy efficient, because the more we can reduce our operating costs, the more we can put back into health care.”

By working with BC Hydro’s New Construction Program to computer-model the expansion, Dave and the project architect, Peter Busby of Busby Perkins + Will, were able to see exactly which energy-efficiency measures will save them the most.

“The energy modeling showed that we could reduce energy consumption by more than 360,000 kilowatt hours a year,” says Peter. “An added benefit: St. Mary’s will also be eligible for BC Hydro incentives to help with the cost of creating a high-performance building.”

Are you looking for new ways to build better?

Visit bchydro.com/business or call 1 866 522 4713.

A10-504

Dave Mackintosh Director, Capital Projects, Vancouver Coastal Health

BUIldING SAfE PATIENT cARE ANd ENERGy EffIcIENcy AT ST. MARy’S

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Construction Business | September/October, 2011

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